Winter music on the Cape, minus the sticker shock

Friday

Feb 24, 2017 at 8:00 AM

Donna Tunney dtunney@wickedlocal.com @dtunneyCodder

During the high tourist season it isn’t unusual to be asked to pay $40, $50, $80 or more for a ticket to a musical performance. Granted, these big-ticket performers are big names, but the sticker shock often keeps local folks away.

Fortunately, there are options that provide free, or more affordable, concerts in small venues that keep the music flowing through the chilly months.

The local libraries are a key source for delivering free entertainment to Lower Cape residents throughout the year, and they are a boon to those who stick out the winter. Check out these upcoming events:

At Brewster Ladies Library, the Sunday Concert Series on March 5 welcomes Claudia Nygaard. Straddling the fence between folk and country, she delivers songs that are often called heartfelt, humorous, scrappy and sensual.

She’s toured across the U.S. and abroad, and her latest album, “Let the Storm Roll In,” rose to No. 1 on the Cashbox Roots/Country chart.

On March 19, the series presents Catherine King, an independent singer-songwriter from South Dennis, who has performed in many venues and at events from New England to Canada.

She released her first studio album, “Come Back to Me,” recorded at Brick Hill Studios in Orleans, with Grammy-nominated producer Jon Evans.

These shows are free of charge and begin at 2 p.m.

At Snow Library in Orleans, the Rowena Myers Music Series also offers free concerts at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. On Saturday, Feb. 25, see the Dan Sullivan Trio playing traditional and unique jazz favorites, and on March 4 look for local crowd-getters Bruce Abbott and Fred Fried, performing jazz favorites from Count Basie to the Beatles.

Free concerts also are performed at Truro Public Library. On Saturday, Feb. 25, hear acclaimed cellists Elizabeth Schultz and Bo Ericsson.

This married couple, both members of the Cape Symphony Orchestra, often perform as the Schultze - Ericsson Cello Duo.

In an interview a few years back, Schultze told The Cape Codder that she originally wanted to play the flute – back in the fourth grade.

“But they had run out of flutes and we would have had to rent one (which we couldn't afford). So my mom said to check out which instruments they still had on hand. The school had a cello and my parents said that it was a great instrument. So I started on the cello and never looked back,” She said.

Ericsson started out playing trumpet, as a youngster, but then took a teacher’s advice to switch to cello, he recalled.

First Encounter Coffeehouse, the Eastham venue that doubles as the Chapel in the Pines, on Samoset Road, attracts big acts but manages to keep the admission price in the $20 range.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, it presents Paul Rishell and Annie Raines with their band Mojo Rodeo. They’ll play country and electric blues, R&B and rock.

And then, on March 11, get ready for the Grand Slambovian Circus of Dreams, which has been described as “hillbilly-Floyd, folk-pop, alt-country, roots-rock, and surreal Americana.” Sounds too intriguing to miss.

Other low-cost shows include performances at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, in Dennis, which features its Music and More Series. Admission is usually $15.

On March 5, hear We Are the Men, a Cape-based choir that performs hymns and other traditional pieces in both Welsh and English.

Singing together since 2008, the choir members represent a cross-section of local people, with members hailing from Harwich, West Dennis, Chatham, Brewster, North Chatham and other Cape towns.

Organizer Chris Roberts explains: “We will be singing songs from Ireland and Scotland, sea shanties, spirituals, a little opera, English and American folk songs, a few pieces in German and Latin… Well, you get the idea! All in all, when you join us you will be in for a concert of memorable music.”

Cultural Center of Cape Cod is another venue that keeps ticket prices fairly reasonable, usually in the $20 to $25 range.

It has a special treat this weekend, when the Henry Acker Gypsy Jazz Trio performs Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Acker is a 12-year-old gypsy jazz guitarist in the style of Django Reinhardt and with abilities said to be far beyond his years.

He will perform with his father Victor Acker, a Berklee alum and jazz guitarist with 43 years of playing experience, and his Uncle Dana Acker on upright bass, also a Berklee alum. The youngster’s career is just getting started and those familiar with him say he must be seen to be believed.